go climb a tree

When was the last time you attempted climbing a tree?

Maybe in your childhood, to hide from your friend. Or to spend a lazy hot summer afternoon in the shade of a mango tree with a friend in the next branch, sharing the view of the world down below. Years ago I used to climb this “jamun” tree and come down after some time with my tongue all violet.

More than a month back, I spent a Saturday morning in this beautiful spot in Chandannagore (West Bengal). The Strand road has a lovely boulevard with stately French monuments on one side and a park on the other side with imposing trees overlooking the ever enchanting Ganges on the other.



Pushing my slippers away, I took nervous baby strides towards the beautiful trunk, which seemed to beckon me to give away my inhibitions and be the same boy who’d climb without fear or hesitation.

Inspired by the view and hoping for a more dramatic view from the top, I relived my childhood all over again. Maneuvering around the itchy inchworms on the old branches of the majestic tree, which had seen no other pain except the drawing of hearts in its grand old trunk, I perched myself on the topmost branch which could hold me without giving away.

There are moments in your life where you just sit back and take all in, knowing well that some time later in the future you would want your conscious self to return to the exact moment – just to experience the same feeling in the hidden recesses of your mind. This was definitely one of them.